George Bush’s New World Order

Conspiracy theorists who believe that there is a coming New World Order
will often cite George Bush’s ‘new world order’ speech as evidence of the
conspiracy. President Bush enunciated his version of the new world order
in his now famous State of the Union speech in January, 1991. This was
not the first time that President Bush uttered the phrase ‘new world order.’
There were other times as well, but since this time it was in a State of
the Union speech, its importance to the conspiracy theory movement cannot
be underestimated. Just what was it that George Bush meant by the use of
the phrase ‘new world order’ in this speech? Let’s take a closer look at
exactly what he said and the context in which it was given.

As it turns out, the phrase was used at the beginning of the speech,
so let’s start right at the beginning to get the full context:

Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, members of the United States Congress.

I come to this house of the people to speak to you and all Americans, certain

we stand at a defining hour.

Halfway around the world, we are engaged in a great struggle in the
skies and on the seas and sands. We know why we’re there. We are Americans – part
of something larger than ourselves.For two centuries we’ve done the hard work of
freedom. And tonight we lead the world in facing down a threat to decency and humanity.

What is at stake is more than one small country, it is a big idea –
a new world order, where diverse nations are drawn together in common cause to
achieve the universal aspirations of mankind: peace and security, freedom, and
the rule of law. Such is a world worthy of our struggle, and worthy of our children’s
future.

So, we find the phrase ‘new world order’ is not said in the context of
global government after all, but in the context of nations being drawn
together for the purpose of peace, security, freedom and the rule of law.
It would be completely dishonest and foolish to state that they are mutually
exclusive, they are not. Certainly common cause can lead
to common government. But let us also be honest about the statement as
it is given. The statement freely acknowledges the diversity and sovereignty
of nations and the common cause of all to seek peace.

The phrase ‘new world order’ could mean anything here. As is usual with
any State of the Union speech, the speech was long on rhetoric, short on
any real substance. The only real definition that can be said of the phrase
here is the definition that is given:

where diverse nations are drawn together in common cause to achieve

the universal aspirations of mankind: peace and security, freedom, and

the rule of law.

So the first use of the phrase isn’t really all that it’s cracked up to
be. What about the second time the phrase is used in the same speech? Bush
reiterates:

The world can therefore seize this opportunity to fufill the long-held

promise of a new world order – where brutality will go unrewarded, and

aggression will meet collective resistance.

So in this context it is, for all intents and purposes, identical
to the first. This time the collective resistance theme is reiterated,
and the theme of unrewarded brutality enters the picture. The rub here
is that if the first is successful, the second will follow.

Seems obvious to everyone except the conspiracy theorists.

Frankly, where’s the beef? It would seem as though all the fluff among
the conspiracy crowd turns out to be just that. Perhaps if we all just
wait for the sun to darken and the sky to fall, the conspiracy crowd can
then be taken seriously. After all, the New World Order controls that
too, right?